Nightmares and Prejudices
by PioneeringAuthor
Summary: The fires burned fiercely in Palestine's dream. No, not a dream-it was a nightmare. Regardless of his actions, the fire would not cease. When he awakes, will he accept comfort? Will the fires ever cease in his visions in the night? Rated T for mentioning of abuse/torture. No gore, profanity, or flying purple people eaters. [Improved thanks to Niobium]


Dear Reader,  
I awoke approximately 4:30 am my time, and could not sleep with this one-shot in my mind.  
It wanted, no, NEEDED to be written.

Hence, I have posted it.

This is my second Hetalia fan fiction, and my first published one-shot.

In fact, this is the second fan fiction I have ever posted.

Originally, I was taking a vacation after writing Healing Wounds; I had planned a different story to write as my second...but this one needed to be done.

Enjoy!

~+~ PioneeringAuthor, the pioneer of a thousand stories, with a heart for people.

P.S. Thank-you, Niobium, for the helpful input! I hope this version is better than the last!

* * *

Nightmares and Prejudices

A One-shot by PioneeringAuthor

The fires burned fiercely in Palestine's dream. No, not a dream, it was a nightmare.  
Regardless of his actions, the fires would not cease.  
Finally, he woke up, terrified.  
Horrified of the blaze within his sleep, Palestine leapt out of bed, and dashed out of his house.  
Palestine ran without knowing where he was going; he ran because he didn't know what else to do.  
As he ran, he gradually calmed down.  
Deep inside, he somehow knew that running was what he was meant to do; he felt an indescribable joy from running. It was not running away from battle, not running away from evil, merely running.  
Every bone in his body knew it was built to run; it was his passion.  
While Palestine was running, his fears subsided, and he began to leave behind the scorching conflagration of his nightmare.

Soon, he was sprinting into a familiar forest, along a gurgling river. Slowing his pace, Palestine wondered where he had darted to in the middle of the night.  
He halted, panting hard. Looking around, he noted that the moon was nearly full.  
The moonlight illuminated his dark brown eyes, black hair and darkly tanned skin, clearly portraying how hard he was panting.  
Suddenly, Palestine heard something stir behind him. Spinning around, he saw the man he hated most: Southern Israel, commonly known as "Judah." Palestine glared at Judah.

Breathing deeply, Palestine growled at his enemy in Arabic, "What are you doing here?"

"This is my house," Judah calmly informed him, also in Arabic. Both men knew that Palestine abhorred Hebrew.

_Hmph! That's what you say, but we both know it's mine,_ Palestine thought angrily.

Catching his breath, Palestine turned away. The fires from his nightmare were fading away, but he could still faintly smell the brimstone and vaguely feel the pain.  
For months, those fiery nightmares tormented him, and he wished they would stop.  
Currently, he attempted to focus on something other than his tortured nights: his worst enemy, Judah.  
Palestine hated Judah more than anyone else, and wished that he could find a way to get rid of Judah permanently.  
Of course, he hadn't succeeded yet. Standing there, in the moonlight, Palestine wished that, at the very least, Judah would walk away.

"Why don't you go somewhere else?" Palestine snapped with his back still towards Judah.

"This is my house," Judah repeated, knowing how much Palestine wanted him dead.

"This is not your house, it's MINE! We both know that you stole it from me!" Palestine barked, glaring over his shoulder at Judah as he spoke.

Palestine remembered when he lived in the house where Judah and his sister Israel [N. Israel] now resided.  
Remembering when Judah moved into his home, Palestine felt his anger burn within himself. For years, he was left alone, living by himself; suddenly, _they_ moved in, and he was eventually forced away to a small section of their land. He grew furious in rememberance.

"Palestine, I lived here long before your memories," Judah calmly informed Palestine.

Ages before Palestine moved into the land in question, Judah and his family lived there.  
Tragically, Rome slaughtered Judah and Israel's parents, and enslaved them.  
For centuries after, Judah and Israel were passed from nation to nation, conquered, tortured, abused and cursed for generations.  
When their house was restored to them, it was a time of great rejoicing. Unfortunately, Palestine insisted the house belonged to him.  
However, Judah and Israel knew it was their birthplace, and they believed God preserved it for them, hence, they didn't move out of their land.  
Of course, staying there meant fighting with those who wanted it for themselves. Hence, Palestine fought many battles against Judah and his sister.  
Of course, Palestine wasn't the only enemy Judah had, but he was the one living on his land.

"How dare you question my memories! Do you think I can't remember anything?" Palestine hissed in fury.

Stepping back, Judah carefully answered, "No, I'm merely pointing out that you don't know everything."

The moonlight shone on Judah's dark brown hair, his bright blue eyes, darkly tanned muscles, and the gruesome scar forking across the right side of his face.  
Although he was intimidating due to his scar, Judah was an even-tempered man who didn't harbor anger against anyone; not even Hitler caused him fury.  
To think that Judah hated Palestine would be incorrect; they were enemies because every attempt Judah made at peace was , Judah craved peace, but rarely received , when Judah began to relax, someone attacked him, whether it was Palestine, Syria, Iraq, or someone else, there was almost always someone determined to kill Israel and Judah, and claim their land for didn't want to be any nation's enemy, but there seemed to be nothing else to do except was one night that Judah wanted to live through without conflict. Thankfully, Judah's calm words began to cool Palestine's away from Judah again, Palestine stared at the rushing stream, feeling his heart slow down as he stood there.

"I don't want a Jew to tell me something I already know; of course I don't know everything! However, I do know one thing: this land belongs to Ishmael, and his children...not to _you,"_ Palestine growled.

Although there were various reason why there was conflict in the Middle East, it all boiled down to one undeniable fact: Judah and his sister Israel were Jewish, while their neighbors were Arab.  
Indeed, their problems went back centuries because of their bloodlines.  
Ever since Abraham fathered Ishmael and Isaac there was conflict. God told Abraham that he would have a son. However, Abraham's wife was barren, and they were both very aged. Hence, Sarah doubted that she would ever have a child, much less a son. Hence, she convinced her husband to have a child with someone else...her handmaid, Hagar the Egyptian. Ishmael was that child. He was the firstborn son, and in those days, in the Middle East, the firstborn son received everything of value, from the land to the gold.

However, God said that Ishmael was not the son he promised; he insisted that SARAH would bare a son.  
One day, she did.  
Isaac was that boy who God promised.  
In those days, and possibly in the present, the second born son received only what his father was willing to divulge.  
However, God promised that Isaac would inherit the land God bestowed upon Abraham.  
Ishmael fathered the Arabs while Isaac, the son Sarah gave birth to, fathered the Jews.

Because Ishmael was born first, the Arabs felt the land the Jews inherited was their birthright...especially Palestine.  
If Isaac alone had been born, there would not be such warfare in modern times.  
Indeed, the problems of the present were directly tied to the past, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.  
If only people understood the past, they would be able to understand the present, and witness their future.  
Indeed, the news reports could easily read, "Ishmael attacks Isaac," whenever an Arab nation assaulted Israel and Judah.  
Currently, Judah felt that now was not the time to defend his beliefs to Palestine, but instead, attempt to cool off the situation. Looking at the night sky, Judah remained silent for some time, pondering what to say.

"The moon is waning," Judah noted.

"Everyone knows that!" Palestine snapped.

"I do not wish to anger you," Judah quietly replied.

Palestine turned to look at Judah again as he countered, "Well, your presence here has already upset me!"

"It is an open forest; any man can wander through it, regardless of who owns it," Judah defended himself patiently.

Palestine spun around again, knowing that Judah's point was valid. Nevertheless, he couldn't abide Judah...Strangely enough, although Palestine hated Judah, there was something about Judah that Palestine noticed: Judah was peaceful. For some reason, no matter what Palestine said or did, Judah replied in a calm, understanding way... For some reason, Judah and Israel carried peace with them wherever they went.  
Indeed, Palestine had seen fear in Israel's eyes before...but that was long ago.  
When he was around Israel or her brother in a calm environment, there was something...drawing about them. It felt almost as if there was a calm presence with them that beckoned to Palestine. Although Palestine felt this presence, his prejudices against Judah caused him to shrink back.

"Regardless of who owns this forest, I do not wish to see or hear you here...so, leave," Palestine objected with a wave of his hand. Judah put one hand to his mouth to block the amused smile spreading across his face.

"If I stay?" Judah prompted, wondering what Palestine would say next.

"Well...I don't know, but I want you gone!" Palestine griped, wishing the Jewish man behind him would just leave him alone...while something inside him wanted him to stay, so he could bask in the peace his enemy carried with him.

As he looked at Palestine, Judah knew why he was there.  
Judah observed things in people that not many perceived.  
By looking at someone, Judah could detect his or her faults, as well as his or her hidden emotions.  
That night, Judah knew that Palestine was shivering in fear inwardly, even though he had his back to Judah.  
Compassionately, Judah looked at Palestine, thinking of what to say.

Quietly, he stated, "It was a nightmare, wasn't it?"

Palestine froze, the horrors of the night haunting him again.  
No, it was not merely a nightmare; it was a night _terror_, something that made one scream in his sleep.  
Palestine's heart began to race as his mind felt the flames scorch his skin again.

"What are you talking about?" Palestine uttered, struggling to keep the fear out of his voice while hearing his cries echo in his ears. He grabbed his arms as he spoke, feeling his breaths deepen.

"You had a nightmare; you ran here," Judah explained as he stepped towards Palestine.

Judah knew Palestine was terrified, and although they were enemies, Judah wanted Palestine to have the peace that he felt.  
While he was being tormented by captors and his own nightmares centuries ago, Judah discovered a way to have peace, and he knew he needed to share that with his enemy who needed that same peace.

"Why do you care?" Palestine spat, feeling his fingers tremble against the skin of his arms.

"I know how to make them stop," Judah offered consolingly.

Those words made Palestine turn around slowly.  
Hope dawned in his eyes, but his prejudices against Judah refused to accept help from a Jew.  
Partially, Palestine wanted to know how to get a peaceful night's sleep, but mountains of beliefs within him wanted to leave before Judah said anything else to him.  
Although Palestine desperately wanted the flames to leave his consciousness, everything he believed insisted that he should walk away immediately. Instantly, a war within Palestine raged over whether to listen to Judah or not. He wanted the peace he recognized in Judah's temper and eyes and the presence he carried; Palestine wanted to rest in his bed without any fear of another nightmare. However, he also hated Judah because he felt that Judah was wicked, deserved to be wiped off the map, and was a horrid, land-stealing, monster. Although he believed he should kill Judah, Palestine also wanted whatever it was that Judah carried. Judah recognized the struggle, and prayed that Palestine would be open to help. Unfortunately, the prejudices and lies Palestine believed won the war.

Gritting his teeth, Palestine spat, "I don't need anything from _you!"  
_

With that, Palestine jogged away, determined to get far from Judah. Although his burning visions haunted him, Palestine chose to leave.

Sighing in despair, Judah turned away, contemplating what to do.  
_God, I try to reach out to him, but he won't listen….Please, let us be at peace one day,_ he prayed as he stared at the stars high above.  
When he need peace, he turned to God, and found it.  
Sadly, Palestine didn't know where to turn to get it, and he wasn't willing to listen to Judah's offer.  
Gently the wind flowed through the trees, ruffling Judah's dark hair as he grieved over the situation.  
Deep within, Judah became peaceful.  
He smiled, glad that he had nothing to fear from terrors in the night, for he knew that God was his shelter to hide in during troubles.  
Perhaps one day Palestine would understand the same thing, and they could share the peace together.

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Dear Reader,

May this remind you that even your worst enemy needs compassion.

May this also remind you to be open to kindness, even if it comes from someone you hate.

Also, thanks for all the helpful reviews, please keep reviewing so I may keep improving!

Sincerely,

PioneeringAuthor, the pioneer with a heart for people and a thousand stories to tell ~+~

P.S. I apologize for any grammar errors in this story.


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